The Xi’an City Wall is the most complete city wall that has survived China’s long history. It     1     (build) originally to protect the city     2     the Tang dynasty and has now been completely restored (修复). It is possible       3     (walk) or bike the entire 14 kilometers.

We accessed the wall through the South Gate. The wall is 12 meters high and from here you can see streams of people moving inside and outside the City Wall.

After     4     (spend) some time looking at all the defensive equipment at the wall, we decided it was time for some action and what     5     (good) than to ride on a piece of history!

We     6     (hire) our bikes from the rental place at the South Gate. My bike was old and shaky     7     did the job. It took us about 3 hours to go all     8     way around the Xi’an City Wall. Supposedly you can do it in two hours, but we stopped at the different gates and     9     (watchtower) to take pictures or just to watch the local people going about their     10     (day) routines.

For Greek photographer George Doupas, Beijing is home now. During the past decade, he has been photographing the city, capturing its beauty     1     sharing these photos online and in exhibitions.

“This     2     (true) represents Beijing — the old and the new, nicely mixing together,” Doupas said while showing his photograph of the Zhihua Temple, a delicate Ming Dynasty building. It     3     (locate) in front of a modern office building, Galaxy SOHO, which features weaving bridges and interlocking passageways.

With rich historical heritage, Beijing     4     (be) an important center of traditional Chinese culture since the Ming Dynasty. Doupas often gets     5     (lose) in the city’s splendid ancient architecture. Meanwhile, he is also amazed by the modern city     6    (combine) high-end businesses and various industries. “It is fascinating to see a rapidly-developing city that invests so much effort in preserving its past, which is     7     I decided to pursue my career here,” he said.

Doupas is determined to continue with his career in China, hoping to serve as     8     bridge between China and the West. The     9     (display) that show his photos about Beijing have attracted a large audience in Greece and the Czech Republic.

“I call Beijing my home now,” he said, “I’ll keep sharing photos of China     10     the rest of the world.”

Huishan clay figurines (泥人) are produced in the western suburb of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, and are one of China’s most famous folk arts, having a history     1    (stretch) back over a thousand years.

The craft originated in the Southern Dynasties and reached     2    (it) peak in the Qing Dynasty. During the Qing, an artist made five clay figurines for Emperor Qianlong(1711~1799) and     3    (reward) with high praise from the royal family.

Huishan figurines differ from those of other localities in that they are always small and always feature a big head. They divide into two types - mold-pressed and hand-crafted. The     4    (cheap), molded figures often serve as children’s toys while the hand-crafted pieces are more refined and original.

The characters depicted (描绘) come     5    (large) from legends and Chinese opera plots. Da A Fu, a plump(微胖的) boy holding a fish, is the most popular figure in Huishan clay art. The legend     6    (go) that long, long ago, a god, disguised as a boy, beat a fierce lion     7     saved the children in Huishan.

    8    (express) appreciation, local people started to make clay figures of their boy savior Da A Fu. One-third of the overall figure is taken up by Da A Fu’s large head,     9     a face round as a full moon and big ears reaching down to his shoulders. It is     10     image implying happiness and good fortune.

The Chengdu Sports Center, a giant stadium at the heart of the provincial capital of southwest China’s Sichuan, once     1     (house) many international group matches, where numerous stars including Mariah Carey and Avril Lavigne performed for their Chinese fans here.

Back to 2013, a renovation revealed relics dating back to the Han Dynasty right underneath the middle of the venue. It created a     2     (complete) unforgettable view. Surrounded by the     3     (seat) now still in good condition, the middle of the former field has become a grand excavation site     4     (expose) ancient city walls, streets and canals, houses and gardens.

After nine years of excavation, the Donghuamen historical site opened to a     5     (give) group of local residents on Sunday. The site has been through 21 dynasties,     6     relics dating back 2,000 years,” said Shan Jixiang,     7     established historian. Spanning (横跨) 50,000 square meters, the site proves Chengdu’s city site has remained in the same place for over 3,000 years,     8     is rare in the world. “Donghuamen has the potential     9     (fill) a blank of core cities of China on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List,” said Shan.

An archaeological park is under construction at the site. The first stage will be finished in two weeks and will be made public two months     10     the Universiade (大学生运动会) is held in Chengdu in July, 2023.

Trends popular among the youth such as “China chic” and the growing influence of young consumers have driven the development of hanfu industry in recent years. Among the various     1     (style), the horse face skirt has emerged as the most popular item.

    2    (combine) classical elegance with modern simplicity, the horse face skirt is said to perfectly suit the contemporary culture and lifestyle of young people, making     3     a fashion icon (标志). This trend has gained popularity in Luoyang city, Central China’s Henan province,    4     numerous performers recently showcased these beautiful skirts in their acts, with many visitors alike     5     (dress) in the elegant horse face skirts. In Caoxian county of Shandong province, one of the country’s hanfu production and sales centers, the sales     6     the horse face skirts during last Spring Festival holiday     7     (increase) dozens of times compared to usual volumes. Actually, the skirt has become a very popular     8     (choose) for gifts.

The current popularity of hanfu in the country is believed     9     (indicate) more than a fashion trend; it     10     (represent) a deeper connection to Chinese tradition and cultural identity.

Did you ever imagine that one day we could enjoy the benefits of Traditional Chinese Medicine in a cup of coffee?

Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, is    1    approach used to help people re-balance their health and mind. A typical way of making a TCM formula (配方) is to get a prescription from a    2    (license) doctor, shop for all the medicinal materials, and then brew(煎) them with water in a pot. These materials    3    (say) to have a restorative effect by re-balancing one’s natural energy, or Qi,     4    runs through series of invisible meridians (经脉) throughout the body.

But if you ask younger generations of Chinese, few visit TCM shops nowadays, let alone brew these time-tested remedies for    5    (they). However, social media has recently seen a type of coffee    6    (feature) goji berry juice get popular.

The concept of combining TCM herbs    7    popular drinks could make young people access TCM more easily. The key of TCM is    8    (prevent). By trying such drinks, young people can take more care of their health, and nip sicknesses in the bud. Most people, attracted in such a cafe by the”new TCM drinks“ at first, would also be offered other TCM products like dried herbs and teas, after which they stay    9    (learn) more about TCM.

As Traditional Chinese Medicine becomes more    10    (access) to young people, many are integrating these ancient drinks into their daily wellness routines.

The world’s biggest kite, shaped like a dragon and    1     (stretch) over 280meters, flew high on Sunday in the skies over the Chinese city of Weifang. The city in the eastern province of Shandong is     2     birthplace of kites and home to the Weifang International Kite Festival since 1984.

The highlight of this year’s edition was the “Chinese Giant Dragon”, four meters in    3     (high) and 3.6 meters in width. The kite has the head of a dragon and the body of a centipede(蜈蚣) and is the    4    (wide) of its kind in the world. “It took 28 experienced workers 48 days to design and complete the kite.55 people     5     (require) to fly it,” said Zhang Huagang, general manager of Weifang Tianshun Kite Productions and one of the kite makers.

According to Zhang, the giant dragon kite, using traditional Chinese techniques, “    6     (refer) to our nation’s wishes for prosperity and fortune”. The kite festival, now in its 38th edition, opened on Friday    7     the presence of hundreds of amateurs and professionals,    8     flooded to the city from near and far to display their creations at the event.

This year’s festival features a record 1,628 kites in     9    (vary) forms by 500 participants     10     (divide) into 188 teams from over 31 provinces and regions from across the country.

The city of Zibo has never seen so many visitors.

As the sun begins to set, the aroma of sizzling meat falls the air and draws in more     1     (hunger) customers. On each street, queues stretch outside restaurants for more than a hundred meters. Some restaurants even run out of key ingredients as early as 7p.m.     2     the night. All hotels are also operating at full capacity.

The city was barely known by outsiders     3     it went viral on Chinese social media platforms recently. Most visitors are young people, who share their experience of traveling to Zibo to experience the city’s barbecue culture on social platforms,     4     (attract) even more visitors.

Zibo- style barbecue’s classic three-piece set contains roast lamb, green onions, and nan bread, which,     5     (combine), make a mouth-watering combo (组合). The fame of Zibo barbecue used to be limited to just Shandong Province.     6     (previous), barbecue in Northeast China was much more popular across the country.

Behind Zibo’s sudden fame     7     (be) the efforts and services of the local government, as well as a good reputation of local businesses,     8     receive favorable reviews from visitors who share their experiences online.

To promote Zibo-style barbecue, Zibo has launched two dozen “special barbecue trains,” where local tourism officials would serve tourists     9     (they). At the city’s train station, shuttle buses transport tourists to various barbecue stalls directly. Netizens joke that the high-speed trains     10     (pack) with visiting tourists and that the air onboard is filled with cumin.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a health care system in which patients     1     (treat) with natural plant, animal, and mineral remedies (药物). It is assumed, for a person to be healthy,     2     yin and yang forces should he in balance. Imbalance causes illness or injury. TCM is about     3     (restore) the balance between yin and yang forces in patients. It has been a major part of traditional Chinese culture and continues to play     4     vital role in medical treatment in China today.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 80 percent of the world's population depends for its primary health care needs    5     medicines from plants and animals. This is especially true in countries where traditional medicines are     6     (wide) used.

Increasingly, however, modern medicines also contain substances from animals and plants. Given growing populations, increasing wealth, and the spreading    7     (popular) of natural remedies around the world, the demand for these medicines and remedies     8     (rise) now. The rising demand,     9     (combine) with reduced habitat, has caused an alarming increase in the number of plant and animal species used for medicinal purposes at risk for many years. For instance, TCM uses about 1,000 plant and 36 animal species, including the tiger, rhinoceros, and sea horse,     10     are all in danger.

China’s newest online sensation is a pink fox called LinaBell from Shanghai Disneyland. After     1     (make) her debut (初次登台) on September 29, the life-size figure has taken the Chinese social media. Unlike other Disney     2     (character), LinaBell has never been on the big or small screen. All we know is that she met Duffy, Mickey Mouse’s teddy bear gifted to him by his sweetheart Minnie, in the forest and     3     (help) him find his way home, according to Disney’s introduction video of the character. Since her first debut, the fluffy (毛茸茸的) character     4     (win) the hearts of many visitors that were attracted by her unique personality and     5     (adore) appearance.

Footage of meet-and-greets with the pink fox are all over the Internet and LinaBell can be seen communicating     6     every visitor through expressive body language. She corrects those visitors     7     mispronounce her name, shows love for those queuing up for hours to meet her and hands out free candy.

Visitors to Shanghai Disneyland were the first people     8     (meet) LinaBell as she made her global debut from the Chinese city. As a “     9     (local) born” character, LinaBell can understand different Chinese dialects beyond that of Shanghai, and can interact with visitors from different parts of China.

Disney’s localization efforts, including the company’s IP products have resulted in its popularity in China. Shanghai Disneyland has been     10     considerable financial success compared to Paris and Hong Kong.